I agree that white might look kind of plain. But, from a design and usability aspect, it is something that needs to be done. Here is one trick I use when designing a site for a client. First, I will show them the way they wanted it. Then I will show them a different version but use a couple elements they requested. I don’t like putting my name on poor web designed sites.

I would highly recommend that you don’t use that teal blue color for your typography. Especially for your body text. It’s okay to use it for H1, H2, etc. but I wouldn’t use it for your body text.

For the sidebar widgets, it’s fine to use that teal color. Would certainly spice it up.

Thank you greatly for this post.

Thanks.

My site background is white. Would you suggest sticking with black for the text in sidebar widgets? I wonder if readers who have a hard time seeing will be able to see the text using #6BA6A7 which is what I use. I don’t want them straining to see.

Thanks for the post! I’m glad I found your site!

Wendy

Yes Razhede, I planned that out when I developed tbwhs.com. Blue is one of the most used colors for websites, too. Effective use of white space is also very important too. Usually, when a site doesn’t use whitespace effectively, it is a terrible eyesore.

Here is a good article I found on white space:
https://blog.teamtreehouse.com/white-space-in-web-design-what-it-is-and-why-you-should-use-it

Correct, people are very quick to judge stuff online. Web sites are certainly no exception. It is so important to choose the right color because people have very low attention spans. This is very true online. I have heard that people have an average of 7 seconds to decide if a site is worth staying on or not. Therefore, you can see just how important choosing colors are for your website.

As a site note, you want your site to load quickly, too. One tool I use it GTMetrix because it shows you exactly how long your site takes to load. Typically, I tell people to aim for under 3 seconds if they can.

I go with my gut instinct on a lot of things. So, I understand.

Yeah, a lot of people really don’t understand color theory. Thus, when they go to develop a site, they get the colors horribly wrong.

However, with your site stuffforbabyboomers.com you have nailed the color pallet. Also, you have nailed the typography for your site, too. It’s very fitting for baby boomers.

The only thing I would change is your SUMO ME plugin gray color for your email marketing opt-in newsletter. I would go with that orange color that you’re using for your sites logo. It would make it stand out more. That and orange isn’t an overpowering color. A lot of people try to use red for attention grabbers on their sites.

Yes, it’s very fitting for financial sites to use green because it represents growth, healing, and harmony. However, a lot of financial brands also use blue.

I did come across this site which shows why they use the color blue:

https://blog.kurtosys.com/blue-popular-financial-brands/

This is so informative I have bookmarked your post as I will be referring to this as I create more websites in the future. You are indeed truly an expert in your field. Thanks.